Cultural heritage tourism is traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes historic, cultural and natural attractions.

This site has been developed as a resource for organizations and individuals who are developing, marketing or managing cultural heritage tourism attractions or programs. These cultural heritage tourism “practitioners” can come from a variety of fields—tourism, historic preservation, the arts, humanities, museums, economic development, main street, heritage areas, and many other fields. Practitioners can include non-profit organizations, government entities, federal agencies and coalitions formed to bring these and other partners together. While the variety of different partners contribute to the richness of cultural heritage tourism, it can also make it more difficult to track down resources and how-to information.

This electronic clearinghouse includes information provided by many different members of Partners in Tourism, a coalition of the national organizations and agencies with an interest in cultural heritage tourism. For those just getting started, there are guiding principles and how-to steps for launching a new effort. The success stories featured here will both inspire and inform, and the resources section includes key contacts in virtually every state as well as national resources for funding, technical assistance and other programs.

These elements are the first step in building a comprehensive clearinghouse of cultural heritage tourism information, and we welcome your feedback.

Contact us at cht@nthp.org or

Heritage Tourism Program
National Trust for Historic Preservation
535 16th Street, Suite 750
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 623-1504 (phone)
(303) 623-1508 (fax)

 

National Partners

Alliance of National Heritage Areas
http://www.cr.nps.gov/heritageareas/

American Association of Museums
http://www.aam-us.org/

Americans for the Arts
http://ww3.artsusa.org/

Cultural and Heritage Tourism Alliance
http://www.chtalliance.com/

Federation of State Humanities Councils
http://www.statehumanities.com/

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
http://www.nasaa-arts.org/
- Cultural Tourism http://www.nasaa-arts.org/artworks/ct_contents.shtml

National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers
http://www.ncshpo.org/

National Geographic Society
http://www.ngs.org/
- Sustainable Tourism Resource Center   http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/

National Trust for Historic Preservation
http://www.nationaltrust.org/
- Heritage Tourism Program   http://www.nationaltrust.org/heritage_tourism/index.html?cat=2

Travel Industry Association of America—Tourism Works for America
http://www.tia.org/
http://www.seeamerica.org

Federal Corresponding Partners

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
http://www.achp.gov/
- Heritage Tourism http://www.achp.gov/heritagetourism.html
- Preserve America http://www.achp.gov/preserveamerica.html

National Endowment for the Arts
http://www.nea.gov/

National Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.neh.fed.us/

Institute of Museum and Library Services
http://www.imls.gov/

President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
http://www.pcah.gov/

U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Natural Resources Conservation Service http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
- Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/

U.S. Department of the Interior
- Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov/nhp/index.htm
- National Park Service http://www.nps.gov/
     Heritage Areas http://www.cr.nps.gov/heritageareas/